This invention pertains to the recording and processing of information about disrupted space patterns.
Disrupted space patterns take on many forms such as fingerprints, snout prints, pictures, printed currency or other printed matter. While each of these categories can require classification, the following discussion will be mainly concerned with fingerprints.
Each fingerprint is unique. It has been said that there are no two fingerprints which are alike, and in the history of fingerprint indentification, no evidence appears to have been found to dispute this contention. The enormity of the problem of classifying fingerprints, storing the data and then retrieving the information in order to identify an unknown print as a duplicate of the original has led to many methods currently in use or abandoned.
In all previous and current methods, various procedures are used to secure a fixed reference point or location for a fingerprint or some characteristic of a fingerprint, such as a "delta" formation, in order to compare subsequent prints which might have been made by use of the same finger pattern. In other words, an invariate matching is sought as a "true" or positive identification.
One problem of previous and current systems is the inherent nature of the classification system itself, i.e., experienced workers can assign different classifications to the same print where borderline definitions exist which describe the nature of the print design. Through assignment to sub-groups, the storing of information may be lost to another worker whose perception of the pattern causes him to assign it to yet another sub-group classification.
A serious drawback to present systems of fingerprinting is the difficulty of establishing a "center" in any fingerprint, of registering an exact position of any one print in order to compare other prints with it. It is estimated, furthermore, that at least 5% of all fingerprints do not have a "delta" formation thereby creating an insurmountable problem for any method, heretofore, of fingerprint classification and identification.
Furthermore, from a practical viewpoint, fingerprint taking itself varies to a very great extent because of inks, pressures of the print taken, the person taking the print, the cooperation or lack of cooperation of the person being fingerprinted, etc.
In essence, all known approaches rely on the concept of "pattern recognition" which assumes an original fixed referent to which an invariate copy is sought.